Weathered and Beachy Entertainment Cabinet

My friend/client used to live in Hawaii and so when she asked me to help her turn her family room into a home gym for her personal training business I suggested she go with a beachy vibe for the colors and decorations. There's not much furniture in the room, since it's for working out, but she did want to keep her tv and entertainment cabinet in there so I updated it with this weathered paint job.

Here is the cabinet before.

Here is the inspiration photo that Holly sent me of a console table her mom has.

And here is what we ended up with.

The cabinet has hardwood doors, and veneer sides and top. I used chalk paint because it sticks well to wood veneer, although it doesn't distress like the actual wood parts do.

To create this look you want to use a dry brush. I used a cheap brush with stiff bristles instead of my usual Purdy brushes so it would leave brush marks in the paint. I sanded lightly and then began with a messy coat of white paint, leaving a lot of the wood showing through.

After the white dried I did the same with a pale green, and after it dried, a pale blue. I kept the brush very dry by only lightly dipping the ends in the paint and then tapping off most of the paint on a paper plate. 

I used my palm sander to remove some of the paint and distress the edges and then I did a coat of clear wax.

At that point I decided to add some dark wax. I only used a little, and focused on putting it in the grooves to bring out those details. 

The map on the wall came out of a 1954 National Geographic that I found in an antique store in Petaluma. Even though they're not rare, like at all, I felt like I won the lottery.

Are you just crazy for old things? I sure am.

If you'd like to see other furniture I've painted, here is one of my favorite pieces, in a totally different style.

Linking up:

Domesblissity

The Happy Housie

Savvy Southern Style

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

DIY By Design